THE WATER-GARDEN 261 
tender touch of the moonbeams, which made them like 
patches of white moonshine a-gleam through dark foliage. 
And here again, in places, the pollen of lotus and water- 
lily, wafted by the dainty fingering of the ripples, em- 
broidered the shore as if with fine lace of gold. And 
in yet other places, where it was carpeted with filaments 
and lapsed petals of lotus and lily, the water had a wide 
splendour, like a gift of homage and glorification. Yet 
another beauty was due to its limpid tranquillity, so trans- 
parent as to show each line and scale and curve of the in- 
numerable fishes, whose flashing movement were no less 
plain to view than if they had been wheeling silvery through 
clear sky. And here the elephants, coming to dip their 
trunks, blew forth cascades of spray that glittered like 
loosened strings of pearl. And all the lake was so 
brilliant that it was the very mirror of the stars, daughters 
of our Lady Moon. Gay birds abounded there, and their 
warbling resounded across the water.’ 
Thus was the lake constructed by Brahmadatta the 
King for the allurement of all birds that fly; and he 
ordered then a proclamation of safety, and pronounced 
that the lake, with all its lilies and all its lotuses, was 
the gift of King Brahmadatta to the birds, that they 
might come and dwell in safety there. 
And so his wicked scheme came to success one day, 
‘when autumn had drawn away the curtain of dark 
cloud, and had scattered its beautiful gifts abroad, 
widening infinitely the clear purity of the horizon; the 
lakes were glorious to behold, with their translucent 
water, and the crowded lilies opening in fullest brilliancy. 
It was in the time when our Lady Moon, flashing rays 
of doubled glory, reaches the highest pitch of loveliness 
and youth; when earth, robed in the splendour of 
innumerable harvests, offers her richest beauty.’ 
‘Vhus begins this simple pious old parable, which, like 
